The sheer idea and concept of Street Academics goes beyond a name, a brand or even a team. They are a family of events that have led to them meeting as individuals, musicians, and as brothers. They even have their own dystopian future multiverse going on. Street Academics are the OG’s of Malayalam Rap & Hip-Hop. Their latest offering “Loop” is a multi-lingual (Malayalam + English) masterpiece created by the team.
In their own words, the album is unintentionally a concept album. 7 core tracks that correlate to the 7 sins of mankind. There hasnt been a significant benchmark in Malayalam rap with regards to a whole body of work, but “Loop” changes all of that. It is a landscape-shaping album, a monument of creativity and the balanced sync of talent and skill.
Dead Crows Rise
The intro track captures the essence of the entire album in the beautiful spoken word format. It is explained how the journey for each of them has been a search for answers. “Aara” is a not-so-humble reminder of the impact and presence of the Street Academics familia in the South Indian music scene. “Kalli Thuni Gang” is a subtle metaphor for the prison that society has built for itself. And right after this we have the titular “Loop” – a dominant english record that symbolizes the current state of the scene with its “loopy” pattern.
“Pathiye & Pambaram” are two stand out tracks that you will find yourself playing on repeat before you reach the last set of songs. “Vadival” (which means Sword) is a straight up banger that brings the grimey, raw sounds of the crew forward. “Paanje” mixes psy with Hip-Hop to form an entirely new direction in this album. And at the end, we reach an outro which is as cryptic as it is on display in plain sight. All in all, Street Academics have put out a body of work that has never been done before and will never be emulated again. This one is for the Southside! True fans and followers will fully understand what this classic album is about, and what direction the crew has taken.
Stream the full album here – https://open.spotify.com/album/7dfo3lWr4LUO0WjMCoFnP6?si=JWy1CTddQWqoDtqooa-AVg